Venezuela death toll soars to 20 in weeks of protests

The number of people killed in three weeks of street protests against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro soared to 20 on Friday after one of the deadliest nights of unrest in Caracas.

Eleven people died -- some reportedly electrocuted while looting a bakery, and others shot -- and six people were wounded in riots in the capital's southwestern district El Valle, the public ministry said in a statement.

The neighborhood witnessed pillaging and violent clashes between police and protesters, according to residents, some of whom took images of an anti-riot vehicle charred by Molotov cocktails.

"It was like a war," resident Carlos Yanez told AFP.

"The police were firing tear gas, armed civilians were shooting guns at buildings. My family and I threw ourselves to the floor. It was horrible," said the 33-year-old construction worker.

The opposition accuses the government of sending gangs of armed thugs to attack them, and says the security forces have been repressing protesters.

Videos taken by locals showed residents throwing bottles and other objects out their windows at the gunmen in the streets below, shouting "Murderers!"

At one point, street protesters throwing Molotov cocktails managed to set fire to one of the armored police trucks firing tear gas at them, lighting up the night sky.

Fifty-four children were evacuated from a hospital in the neighborhood.

There were conflicting explanations why.

The government said "armed gangs hired by the opposition" had attacked the hospital. The opposition rejected the allegation, saying the children had to be evacuated because of tear gas fired by Maduro's "dictatorship."

Pressure on Maduro has been mounting since 2014, as falling prices for Venezuela's crucial oil exports have sent the once-booming economy into a tailspin.

The crisis escalated on March 30, when the Supreme Court moved to seize the powers of the legislature, the only lever of state authority not controlled by Maduro and his allies.

The court partly backtracked after an international outcry, but tension only increased when the authorities slapped a political ban on Capriles on April 7.

Hundreds of thousands took part in Wednesday's marches, in which a 17-year-old teenager and a 23-year-old woman died after being shot in the head by masked gunmen. Maduro's camp said a soldier was also killed.

The ruling Socialist party accused the opposition of sowing violence to chase headlines.

"These delinquents want to make people believe Venezuela is in chaos. The country is calm," said Freddy Bernal, a party leader.

Figures published by pollster Venebarometro show seven in 10 Venezuelans disapprove of Maduro, whose term does not end until 2019.